The Life of a Knight
by janefan13
Summary: As a tragedy strikes at the castle, Jane and her friends are left to pick up the pieces. Will Jane be able to catch the perpetrators of this deed most foul? Set six years in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note****:****I am a beginning writer, and I sometimes have trouble putting a lot of words on a page. The next chapter will be longer.**

**Please Review!**

Jane sat on the ground, watching Gunther's face above the wooden practice sword angled at her heart. "Dead," he said, to indicate that she had lost yet another joust with him. She picked herself up muttering something that will remain unsaid in text. She heard the jingling of bells and the sound of laughter, meaning that she had had an audience to her latest defeat. "You really need to work on your balance, Jane. If this was real then there would be one less lady knight," Gunther sneered.

"I thought Jane performed splendidly," remarked Jester, coming to Jane's defense.

"Fought, not performed. And if she did so well why is she on the ground with no weapon in hand?"

"Because I can take you any day from the ground with no weapon at all, is why. I tossed aside my practice sword to make it easier on you, since you seemed to be struggling," Jane spat back.

"Sparring with words does not help one's sparring," remarked Sir Theodore, entering the practice yard, "And a Jester is only useful for the first. Aren't there ballads that require composing, Jester?"

"Of course, Sir. Just leaving."

"Now, perhaps you two can continue to practice."

"Yes, sir," Jane and Gunther stated in unison and assumed a practice stance.

A few hours later, Jane was making her way up to her tower room, when she saw Jester on the steps. "Jane, I-"

"Could this wait, Jester? Sir Theodore had us practicing pretty hard all of today, and just moving hurts."

"Very well, tomorrow." Jester stepped aside and allowed her to continue climbing, as he descended to his rooms. Jester laid thinking on his bed, running all sorts of situations through his head, not sure how exactly he would say what was on his mind. How he could tell her how he felt.

But he didn't know that at that moment, such thoughts were running through more than one head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note****: ****Yay! This chapter took a lot less time than I thought it would. Please enjoy!**

That morning found itself to be pleasant. The sun was shining, not a cloud was in the sky, the birds were singing, and Rake and Pepper seemed to be the only two awake in the whole castle, tending to their duties. Any thoughts of the night were seen vanished. It had the prospects of becoming a beautiful day.

A piercing scream tore through the morning air, spreading through the castle grounds. There is a scream that a lover makes when they are betrayed, a sound that a child makes, finding their favorite pet has passed, such a sound that was heart wrenching and terrifying and mournful. This was the sound that drove all the castle's inhabitants to awaken that morning. This was the sound of a mother, whose child has been found dead in their chambers. Jane moved quickly, dressing herself at a record speed, and dashed to the Princess' room, from where the sound seemed to originate.

She arrived to find herself the first knight there. The Queen was doubled over the Princess' bed, crying hysterically. The King was there as well, attempting to comfort his heartbroken Queen. When the King noticed Jane had entered the room, he turned to her and instructed, "Gather the knights, a search party must be established for the perpetrators of this deed most foul."

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened?" questioned Jane.

"Lavinia is dead!" howled the Queen, moving to reveal the small Princess in a spreading pool of blood. There was evidence of a stab wound, but the knife had been removed from her chest. Lavinia's face was contorted from stunning beauty to abject horror. "My dear, dear Lavinia! What have they done?" but Jane was already out of the room. She ran to the knight's quarters like the very wind to fetch Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore.

"What is goin' on here, squire?" demanded Sir Ivon.

"The Princess Lavinia is dead. Murdered last night. We are to search out the rascals."

"Ride out to warn Squire Gunther. We ride within the hour after the villains."

Jane quickly ran to the stables, and seeing Smithy asleep, saddled her horse at lightning speed and set out for the village. She soon rode up to the house of Magnus and ran in demanding to see Gunther. A maid attempted to protest, but after a glimpse at her emerald eyes, ran up a flight of stairs. Soon, a half dressed Gunther stumbled down the stairs. "What is this about! I do not take lightly to being wakened-"he broke off as he realized who was standing there. "Jane, I-"

"No time. Prepare yourself for battle. We ride in three quarters of an hour."

"What is happening?"

"The Princess is dead."

Gunther's mouth made the shape of an O, and he stumbled back up the stairs, calling for his armor. Within fifteen minutes, he was in full armor and ready to ride. "Let's go."

When they arrived at the castle, they found Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore waiting for them. "It is unfortunate that the Dragon is not available, but we must ride with all due haste." Sir Theodore mentioned wistfully. "Watch for tracks leaving the main road. Thank goodness it is not raining, or we would have lost them already."

The four knights traveled with a contingent of a score of men. They rode hard, but paid close attention to the road, making sure they did not lose the track of their quarry. By mid-afternoon, they had lost all tracks of the assassins in a stream. Words that no one should ever have to read were uttered by twenty-four mouths. "Squire Gunther and Sir Ivon, take ten knights upstream. Squire Jane and I and the remaining knights will ride downstream. If you find a trace, blow thrice upon your horn," instructed Sir Theodore, "We have to be gaining on them."

Jane and the other eleven continued downstream until they heard horns blowing. They rode with all speed to the source, and followed our knights' trail until they came upon them, in the heat of battle. There were only four men, on foot, but they were very skilled based on their fluid movements, creating a deadly dance. Six of the knights were down, but one of the attackers was injured, and could no longer fight. The twelve reinforcements rode forward, charging into battle. "Squires, back out!" roared Sir Ivon, and Jane and Gunther rode out, allowing full knights to ride in. Before long, three of the attackers were dead, and the last was bound and gagged, ready to be taken for questioning.

But something inside of Jane was dead. Something, that wanted to see Lavinia grow into a young woman. Wanted to see one more glowing smile. Wanted to see her taunting courtiers and noblemen. Wanted to see her in Arena stands, watching as Jane fought. A part of her that wanted to see Lavinia.

The knights rode back in silence, not a word spoken by any of them for over three hours. The very forest seemed quieter, like the birds had witnessed this crime, the animals had heard that scream of the Queen, the plants had felt the evil that had ridden past. They left the prisoner in the dungeons, and were dismissed from duty for the rest of the day. Jane walked up to her room, and found Jester in front of it. "Jane-"

And she collapsed into a fit of tears. She fell on his chest, surprising him. Jester lifted her up, and brought her to her bed. He then made to leave. "No. Don't leave," she pleaded. And so he didn't. He sat there, one arm comfortingly around her shoulders, one hand on the bed for balance, her head on his chest, her tears on his tunic, until she fell asleep. He then gently placed a quilt over her and made his way to his own bed, where he wondered if he ever would be able to tell her how he felt.

And once again, his thoughts were echoed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note****: I know, another short one. But as a trade off I promise to write at least ten chapters, deal?**

"There will be no practice today, squires. Today a Princess is buried," Sir Theodore informed the Jane and Gunther. Gunther did not ride off to find his father, as he normally did on such days, but instead offered to Jane his support.

"I understand you were quite close to her little majesty, and I only wish to make this as painless as possible," offered Gunther.

Jane was at first not sure if he was teasing, but as she looked into his hazelnut brown eyes, she knew him to be honest. And so, she passed the day with him. They first headed to the kitchens, as they both were exceedingly hungry after not having eaten dinner the night before. They came across Rake and Pepper, working hard on pea soup.

"Feel free to grab a roll," Pepper yelled over her shoulder.

They did so and continued on. Not sure what to do, they headed to the practice yard. They spent the rest of the day sparring.

As night fell, she changed into the only black she had, and traveled with her friends to the crypt. The wizard was there, to speak a few final words to keep Lavinia's soul at rest, but Jane did not believe that he was successful, for her spirit still haunted her.

"Jane, may I have a word with you?" inquired Gunther.

"Of course. Now what did you wish to say?"

"Jane, for six years I have practiced with you. I know that I have not been kind to either you or your friends for those years, but I know no other way. I was raised by my father, who is hardly the man who you want to model future relationships on. What I'm trying to say is…I'm trying to say I love you."

"Gunther," Jane raised a hand to his cheek, "I cannot love you." With that, Jane walked away, up to her rooms, at which point she quietly fell asleep hoping she could go the rest of her life without seeing Gunther.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note****: Another one a little rough around the edges. Please for give me! The next one, I will have as close to perfect as I can manage!**

**On another note, I will not be posting until Saturday due to a wedding in New York! Marines are great and all, but my cousin scheduled his wedding on New Year's Eve, BLUGH! See you on Saturday!**

"Jane, Gunther, it is time for you to learn one of the more ugly tasks that a knight must fulfill. Today, you will learn the art of questioning. If you will follow me down to the dungeons," Sir Theodore was instructing Jane and Gunther on their duties for the day. They walked silently behind him to a door in the castle that she had only seen used once, two days before, taking the assassin in.

They descended down a spiral staircase lighted by torches. Every now and then a dark hallway would break off into the darkness. Eventually, they followed one of those passages and continued walking. The further they descended, the colder it seemed to get. It must have been at least one half of an hour before they turned a corner to find Sir Ivon and Chamberlain holding a torch in front of a cell.

"Ye brought the wee pipsqueaks!" Sir Ivon exclaimed.

"You and I are not young and they will soon be knights. They need to know how to question," replied Sir Theodore.

"Very well," Sir Ivon turned his attention to the prisoner. "Well, you scum sucking maggot! We have some visitors for ye, mister whip and master fist. Now, who do you want to visit first?"

The Prisoner remained silent.

"Then it'll be both!" Sir Ivon motioned for the Chamberlain to open the cell and stepped inside. "Who hired ye!?" When the prisoner did not speak, sir Ivon hit him across the back with the cat o' nine tails. "Who hired ye!?" Sir Ivon drew his hand back for another strike when Sir Theodore reached to stop it

"Hold your hand Sir Ivon. Open your mouth, prisoner!" demanded Sir Theodore.

The prisoner opened his mouth, to reveal no tongue.

"Can you write?" The prisoner shook his head.

"This man is useless. Come Jane, Gunther. We must alert the King to this. Sir Ivon will deal with this prisoner."

The three of them began to leave when Sir Ivon suddenly yelled out, "Ach! This rascal had taken one of me knives!" They ran back to the cell to find the man impaled on one of Sir Ivon's daggers. They all muttered a string of curses.

The five of them, including Chamberlain, began to climb the stairs out of the dungeons.

After Sir Theodore finished the report to King Caradoc, he once again gave them the day off. They left the throne room, and just about then, Dragon executed an almost perfect landing in the practice grounds where they were standing. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a few days, but I found a new tunnel in my cave, and there are more runes!"

"Excellent! I'll ask Pepper for a lunch and we'll make a day of it!" Jane was relieved, because the cave was a place where she would not have to see Gunther.

When Jane returned they headed off to patrol just a bit before spending the rest of the day trying to decipher the markings in Dragons cave. By the time Jane returned home, all thoughts of Gunther had long gone, as well as the sun.

Jane made her way upstairs to her bedroom, and for the first time since before the death of Princess Lavinia, she was not stopped along the way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note****: I'm back! No more snow! Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, please review!**

That morning Sir Theodore required duty of all of them, even the two year squire Prince Cuthbert. Jane and Gunther were practicing fighting on horseback in full armor with real swords, whereas the Prince and his partner were sparring with padded staves. Jane was quite easily defeating Gunther, as he was not near as skilled a horseman as she. Besides that, Gunther was fighting half-heartedly, not wanting to injure the woman he loved, even though it felt as though she had been using him for a whetstone.

When Sir Theodore finally called for a break, Jane went to the kitchens to help Pepper a bit before lunch. "Hello, Jane."

"Hello Pepper." Jane walked over to Pepper to help her peel potatoes.

"So, has Jester talked to you yet?" Jane stopped in her tracks.

"Talked to me about what?"

"Well, I shouldn't say..."

"Out with it, Pepper!"

"Well, Jester had been asking Rake how it was that he had talked to me."

"Talked to you about what?"

"Well, Rake and I are betrothed. He asked me about two weeks ago. We'll be married on the night of the new year."

"That's wonderful, Pepper! Does that mean you won't be able to keep working here?"

"No, I talked to the Queen about a week ago, and she said I could stay on until I had my first little one. Rake and I are planning to save up after the wedding and open up an inn."

"And the finest inn in Kippernia, I'm sure. It'll be different without you here, though. But wait, what was that about Jester talking to Rake?"

"Jester would have my hide. I'm sorry, I've said too much already. You won't get another word out of me." To emphasize this, Pepper closed her mouth with sound still coming out, as though she wished to keep talking but was unable to do so.

"I'm sorry Pepper, but I have to go." Jane quickly turned and made her way to the sound of gentle strumming beneath the cherry tree.

When Jester first saw Jane coming towards him, his heart leapt. Then he noticed that her eyes were managing to out flame her hair, and three thoughts repeatedly ran through his head. One, why is she enraged? Two, is she enraged at me? And three, what is the quickest way out of the castle? Questions one and two were swiftly answered, but three soon did not become an option.

"You! You liver-headed, weevil-brained, lily-livered," Jane ran out of adjectives, "Augh! Did you think that this half-baked, _stupid_ plan of yours was a good one? No, and I can tell you why! All of the knights, including myself, are trying to catch a _regicide_, and you think it's a fine time to go a courting." Jester had long since dropped his lute and retreated to find himself between the tower and the wall. "And, if that wasn't enough, even if I wasn't doing that, you're the second person, at least, who has had thoughts of courting me. So even if I wasn't too wretchedly busy, it would be too late and I would _still_ be having this conversation with you!" Jane then found herself screaming at her best friend in front of a score of knights, just inches from his face. She turned an about face, and marched herself up to her room, where she then let loose, and cried until lunch.

At that point, she was forced to see Jester, but she was careful not to see her tearstained face. They ate in silence, until Jane was finished, at which point she marched back to the practice yard to beat the stuffing out of Gunther.

After practice, Jane felt more than ready for her weekly bath, and made her way to the bathhouse. Jane vigorously scrubbed at every inch of her body, trying hard to get the cloying smell of betrayal off of her. But no matter how hard she scrubbed, she still felt as dirty as when she had come in. Her mother, who was also taking her bath, began attacking her hair with gusto. Jane settled into the hot water and took the frontal assault of the hair brush until her mother gave up. Jane quickly dressed and made her way back up to her room where she read over some of her studies until she heard a knock on the door. She stood up to get the door, and found Smithy standing outside her door.

"Oh, please, not you too!"

"No, I'm not here to petition for your favor, I'm here to tell you you were too hard on Jester," stated Smithy rather bluntly.

"He told you too?"

"No, I surmised that you yelling at Jester meant one of two things, and since he wasn't taken to the dungeons afterward, it must have meant that he had tried to pour out his heart."

Jane sighed and sat on her bed. "I was very harsh."

"And Jester was just trying to tell you he loves you, which I know he does. He didn't have to tell me that. I've known since I came to the castle, ten years ago. When he performs, he immediately searches you out, and performs better if he finds you. Half the songs he writes are about a mysterious red-haired love. Now who could that be?" Smithy pretended to think really hard on it, at which point she punched him playfully in the arm. Unfortunately for Smithy, Jane punching halfheartedly was like Jester putting all his weight into it.

"Why me? I don't really care about my looks, and I have more lovesick puppies following me than Rake has dung!"

"That might be a bit of an exaggeration. You have two puppies, and Rake has a lot of dung!" They both laughed. "Anyway, just know that if you need to talk, I am _not _a lovesick puppy, and I also do _not_ have a giant mouth."

"Thank you, Smithy. I'll try to keep that in mind." Smithy walked through the door and to his own quarters, leaving Jane with her thoughts. Jane tossed and turned all night, not sure of what to do. Sometime after the moon had set she decided not to deal with it. Just to let what happens happen, and to try to catch the villains who murdered an innocent young woman.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**** I realized I had been going light on the Smithy, so I tried to write him in. **

**Do not think I am writing SmithyXJane, he's just sympathetic.**

"You and Gunther will arrange shifts in guarding the Prince. One of you will always be at his side. If you see anyone suspicious, blow upon your horn. I want no heroes, you understand. I would rather have a live squire than a dead hero. Sir Ivon and I shall be guarding the King, and two more senior knights shall protect the Queen. Good luck, and keep the Prince safe," Sir Theodore was instructing the on their duties for the next few days, weeks, months, however long it took to catch those behind the attack. It was agreed that Jane would guard the Prince between midnight and noon, and then Gunther would take over until midnight. Jane immediately went to find the Prince to alert him to his new situation.

"But I don't _need_ a guard! I'm a knight!"

"Not yet, your majesty, and we need to be sure you are safe. You are the sole heir. And on that note, you will not be allowed to continue your squire work as long as the threat remains. There are simply too many ways for you to be attacked. And if you were to die, I know that your mother would fall even deeper than she already has, not to mention your father! He tries to act as though he does not care, but we all know how much he cared for Lavinia. If you were to die, it would be with the hope of the kingdom. I can not let that happen, your majesty," Jane attempted to explain to the stubborn Prince.

"Very well. But if I must remain 'safe', I at least would like you to help me study battle tactics," Cuthbert whined loudly. The young Squire-Prince did not enjoy studying, but anything would be better than nothing.

"Of course your majesty. Now, if the enemy has the high ground, and…"Jane and Cuthbert continued on as such until Gunther came to relieve her. Jane went to nab a quick lunch from Pepper and then proceed to decimate the practice dummy. To Smithy, it seemed as though she was saying something while destroying the dummy, but he couldn't be certain, and it would have been rude to ask. Quite suddenly, he heard the jingle of bells. He saw Jester enter the practice yard, and make his way toward Jane. Smithy muttered a curse. _You would think he was _trying_ to get himself killed!_ Smithy thought for a moment before looking down at the horseshoe on his anvil and realizing he should save his friend from certain doom.

Smithy jogged up to Jester and intercepted him just in time. "Jester, I was wondering where you were! Perhaps I could talk to you?"

"Of course, Smithy!" Jester was trying hard not to grind his teeth. If Smithy hadn't walked up just then, he could have remedied things with Jane! And Gunther would have been to busy with Cuthbert to know.

Smithy put an arm around Jesters shoulders and began leading him towards the gardens. "I'm beginning to think you _are _a liver-headed, weevil-brained, lily-livered fool. Did you see the pounding she was giving that dummy? I have the distinct impression that the dummy is either you or Gunther, and either way, _you _were about to volunteer as her new target! Look, I may not understand love and such, but I understand anger, and right now Jane needs that anger to try and find the murderers. If you try to distract her, she might _become_ a murderer. Got it?" Smithy had never really planned on such a conversation, but it had to happen. Jester was being more of a fool than his profession dictated, and that is not a good thing to do.

"But I love her Smithy! I don't know what to do!"

"I know you love her, and I think she knows too, but it doesn't matter. She can't love you, not yet, and acting like a lovesick puppy will not help." Smithy took the liberty of using the phrase that Jane had coined, simply because he thought it worked.

Jester sighed. "I suppose you're right. I probably would find myself maimed if I were to talk to her, even if it was about the weather. But it doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"As long as you're alive, it doesn't really matter if you like it."

Jester sighed again, and walked off with some excuse about a royal puppet show. Smithy was somewhat relived that the numb-skull understood that he should avoid Jane for now, and so he headed back to his forge to try to salvage what was left of the horseshoe. A little while later he looked up to find Jane. "Thank you," she said, and went back to the dummy until nightfall.

The five of them gathered for the evening meal, once again in stony silence, and Jane went immediately to bed to try to salvage some sleep until she woke, just before midnight, at the sound of a horn.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note****: My longest chapter yet! Please review!**

Jane hurriedly made herself decent and ran to the sound of the blowing horn. When she arrived at the source of the noise, she found a riled up Gunther and an unhappy Prince.

"What in the name of flying rabbits is going on here?!" Cuthbert screamed over the horn.

Gunther finally put the horn down as Jane entered the room. "He ran. When I blew the horn, he ran! But I figured something out."

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Jane calmly inquired. She was not happy about losing a _moment_ of sleep.

"The prisoner, he wore white?" Gunther responded.

"Yes, but-"

"And the assassins we killed, they wore pure white?"

"Well, yes, but what does-"

"This man wore white as well."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"What was Sir Theodore talking about recently, that when he was fighting for Harun al-Rashid, there was a group of assassins that wore pure white, and many of the lower members had their tongues cut out."

"But that was in the Middle East. How did they get here?"

"I don't know, but I don't see what it could be, but hired knives."

"You stay here, protect the Prince. I shall so to Sir Theodore about this," Jane decided, as it seemed the best plan at the moment. She turned around and headed for the King's chambers, where she was certain that she would find Sir Theodore. She did not, however, feel Gunther's eyes on her as she left, watching her red hair bob down the hallway.

When Jane found Sir Theodore, she explained Gunther's theory, and Sir Theodore responded that it would be very simple to get to Kippernium, as any merchant ship would have food and water stored enough for eighty men, and it would be easy to hide trained assassins. Sir Theodore instructed her to then visit the knight's quarters and gather anyone who had not yet answered the call. Then she would go back to the Prince's rooms, and take Cuthbert to the grand hall. There she would find the King and Queen. A score of knights would be left to defend the royal family, another score for the rest of the castle, and the other two score knights would go in search of the assassins.

The hour found them saddled on forty horses, riding out to catch assassins. As they followed the tracks of the latest assassin, it soon led them to the small clearing where they had caught the prisoner and killed three assassins. They searched the clearing for a hint of further trail, until finally, it was found _beneath_ some bushes. Sir Theodore gestured for Jane to continue alone, as she was the smallest and one of the best trackers.

Jane dismounted, and soon found herself alone in the forest, searching for a den of murderers. Finally, the trail ended in a T, which intrigued Jane. She waited a few moments, hiding herself, when sure enough, a man dressed in white ran through the forest, looking every which way. Jane silently followed the sentry, and eventually found a camp of about twenty. She quickly noted the tent where several men, and a few women, where eating in silence, the tent where a few men stood on guard, and a tent where the rest must sleep. She hid herself once more, waiting for a sentry to pass, and followed him in a wide circle that made it's way back to the T. She then made her way back to the knights, and informed them in great detail of the layout of the assassins camp.

All of the knights dismounted, and silently followed her through the greenery. The birds of the forest, which had been singing cheerfully, abruptly stopped in preparation of the coming blood shed. When they came to the T, they waited for the sentries to pass, slaying each one as he ran by and then hiding the bodies. Soon, they had four dead men and one dead woman, and no one had passed in quite some time. Jane led them to the clearing entrance, where the knights split up, twenty one way, twenty the other, to make a tight circle around the camp.

The knights of Kippernium where not known for their ferocity. In fact, most of the knights of Kippernium were poorly trained and lived fat until they retired. Very few were as athletic as the old Sir Theodore, or any of the squires that had been left behind. But as Sir Theodore imitated the call of the owl, signaling the attack, you never would have known. Within the first quarter of an hour, ten more assassins were dead, but following that, the assassins regrouped and killed ten knights. It was quite a bloody battle, and as the sun rose, shedding red light on the clearing died red with blood of men and women.

When finally, the battle was won, the remaining fifteen knights entered into the bloody job of assuring that every single enemy was dead. Gunther looked around the clearing for the blessed red haired woman whom he admired in vain. He simply could not find Jane, as hard as he tried. Once all of the dead were dead, they were dragged into a pile and set alight. Then, the knights began to look for their own dead and injured. Slowly, every knight found his comrades.

Sir Theodore was found dead by many wounds, and Sir Ivon was bleeding heavily. But hard as Gunther looked, he still could not find Jane. Finally, as the knights began to make their way back to the castle, Gunther heard a quiet rasping. He made his way to the source, a still log. He slowly drew his sword, fearing the worst, but he instead found the one person whom he had been looking for since the battle had begun. He ran to her side, and quickly attempted to tend to her wounds. Gunther called out for help, and some of the senior knights made their way. When they found Jane lying unconscious, they told Gunther not to bother, she was as good as dead. Gunther refused, and once all of her wounds were bound, he then allowed them to place her upon shield with the rest of the dead and wounded.

The fifteen knights gathered the forty horses, and led them on foot back to the castle. They then sent all of the wounded to the kitchen, where Pepper and the wizard would do all that they could, and sent the dead to their families. The knights then rode back to the assassins' camp, looking for evidence of the man behind the murders. They found in the tent that had been guarded many papers, all of them covered with names of murderers and murdered. They grabbed all of these papers, and quickly rode back. By now, it was nearing noon, and while the King, Queen, and Prince were still heavily guarded, every remaining knight found themselves searching through the papers for the name of their own murderer.

When Jane awoke, it was with Pepper standing over another knight, her back turned. When Jane made a quiet rasp, Pepper turned around, fast as she could, and Saw Jane's green eyes fluttering open. "Oh, thank heavens! You're alright!" exclaimed Pepper. "You gave us all quite a fright. Who would have thought that the worst wounded would be the first to wake!"

"Sir Theodore?" Jane rasped, hardly able to speak.

"Let me get you some water. There. I'm afraid he's dead, but Sir Ivon is recovering well, and if he lives many think he will be the new captain of the guard. We lost fifteen knights, and ten are badly wounded, you being foremost of these. Wait till I tell Jester, he's been hovering over you, getting in the way. And Gunther will be happy, too. I mean, he did save your life."

Jane's eyes opened wide, and then closed again when she realized just how much pain she was in. She let out a groan.

"Oh! You'll be hungry! I'll get you some broth, and then let you rest. The wizard said the best thing to do is let you rest." Pepper fetched some broth and then allowed Jane to rest. It was almost dinner, and still no one had found any sign of the murderer.

Gunther walked into the kitchen, which was temporarily the hospital to find Jester holding Jane's hand. Gunther walked down, slowly, and sat on Jane's other side. He, too, grasped her hand.

"I understand you saved her life," mumbled Jester, still looking down at Jane's face.

"I did what any other knight would have done." Returned Jester, also watching her face contorted in pain.

"Actually, as I understand it, you defied a _direct_ order to save her. Why would you do that?" inquired Jester, quickly glancing up.

"She is my comrade. She deserves to live," Gunther responded quietly.

"Then why have you been in here more often than me? The entire castle knows how I feel about her, after she told me off in front of all of the knights. What is your excuse?" Jester pressed.

Gunther mumbled something, and they both let it rest as Jane opened her eyes. They both dropped her hands, and put them in their laps. Jane mumbled something about puppies, turned her head and fell back asleep.

Jester and Gunther looked up, gave each other a nod of understanding, and watched her sleep until morning came.

**Author's Note****: Points for anyone who found a video game reference!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Amazing how fast you can write with inspiration. I'll probably post the rest of it tomorrow. Please review!**

When Jane awoke the next morning, she saw two things; one had bells, and the other black hair. "There must be something more useful that you two should be doing than standing watch over me. It can not be interesting." Both Jester and Gunther opened their mouths to say something, decided against it, and simultaneously stood up. They both muttered some excuse while they left.

"They stayed up all night, just watching you, holding your hands to 'check for a pulse' at all times, you know," Pepper said, entering the hospital side of her kitchens.

"While that is admirable, it was not necessary. You should not encourage them."

"Oh, come off it, Jane! At least this way, if you lose a pulse, they could do something about it before we lost you."

"I am fine, Pepper. In fact, I was going to report to the interim Captain of the guard."

"Only if _he _comes to _you_," Pepper replied, and she put her hands on her hips to show that she would be obeyed, especially in her domain. "_I_ shall fetch him for you." Pepper scurried off, leaving a tart baking, to fetch the Captain of the guard. She politely knocked on the door and entered. "Please, Sir…"

"Bedwyr. Sir Bedwyr."

"Sir Bedwyr, some of the knights are getting restless. They require something to do. Of course, they can not train or any such thing, due to their condition…"

"Understood, Mistress…"

"Pepper"

"Ah, the cook. Anyway, Mistress Pepper, I shall send you back with some of the writs left in the chief's tent to give to the knights to go through. If they find anything, fetch me." And with that, he handed her the tallest stack of paper she had ever seen to bring to the kitchen. Pepper began walking toward the kitchen, but no sooner had she left the knight's quarters than did Rake offer to help her carry the writs.

"So you met Sir Bedwyr?" asked Rake.

"Yes, I did not know there were so many knights in the castle," responded Pepper, and with the look on Rake's face, she quickly added, though none are as handsome as you, of course."

The relief flooded back onto his face, and they began discussing such things that engaged people do until they reached the kitchen, when he headed back to his peas.

Pepper set down the pile of papers on a table and went over to Jane to explain what they were. Jane demanded a stack of them, and they were quickly supplied. Some of the other conscious knights requested them, and soon Pepper was busy with not only cooking, but also fetching more papers for all of the knights.

The rest of the day went on as such, and several days after that. A few of the more lightly wounded knights moved on, leaving only Sir Ivon and Jane in the hospital to go over the papers. The King had since decreed that once he was fully recovered, Sir Ivon would take over as Captain of the guard. Sir Ivon was almost ready to leave the kitchen when Jane's eyes went wide reading the document in her hands. She gestured for Sir Ivon to come over, as she was not yet allowed to walk.

Sir Ivon appeared over her shoulder, and he began to mutter such things that should _never_ be repeated. "The dirty scoundrel, I should have known! Pepper, fetch Sir Bedwyr, and send him out with thirty knights to arrest the man whose name is on this piece of paper. He handed it over to Pepper, who once she left his sight, indulged her own curiosity. She looked down and saw that it was a writ for the entire royal family, as was expected, and below that, the name of the traitor to the crown. She quickly made her way to the knight's quarters again, and gave him the orders that Sir Ivon had given her. He was just as shocked, and as she returned to her kitchens, she knew that someone's heart could break tonight. She did not need any salt in her cooking that night, for what is more salty than tears.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note****: The murderer of Lavinia is revealed! I bet I fooled ya!**

When Gunther saw Sir Bedwyr and thirty knights saddling up, he called for Smithy to fetch his horse. When he rode up to the company, he offered his help. Sir Bedwyr looked at the speaker, and immediately yelled, "You were given no orders to come with us! Go back to the practice yard! It is no longer necessary to go over the writs!"

"So you have found the man behind it?"

"Go back to the practice yard, boy!" Sir Bedwyr said through grinding teeth, letting his Welsh accent slip. That was a sure sign to leave Sir Bedwyr alone, Gunther had found. But as Gunther watched the knights leave, he rode out on his horse, following them.

They were making their way to town, he observed, and so he took a shortcut so that he might arrive faster. When he saw them ride through the city gates, he had stabled his horse at his father's stables and sat down on a bench with some lunch, trying to remain hidden.

Gunther watched as the knights rode to the nobles' district, and he quietly finished his lunch and followed. As they continued Gunther found that they were heading for his father's house, or very near to it. But the farther they went, the lower Gunther's gut seemed to sink, until the stopped directly in front of the house of Magnus. The knights dismounted, and opened the door without regard to knocking, without regard to the protesting maid. Gunther knew that they were searching the house, because he saw a knight through the windows on the second floor, as well as one on the first. A thought ran through Gunther's head, _Could father have…No! He would not!_ But the longer time passed the more he could believe it.

He headed toward the stable, which was across the street from the house itself. There he found his father, saddling a horse. Gunther stood in the doorway. Magnus noticed his son.

"Good boy, coming to warn me of the knights. I already knew though. Thank you anyways." Gunther did not move an inch. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to be going." Gunther stayed where he was. "Move boy!" Gunther did not move. "If you do not move, you shall never know you your mother was!" By now, Magnus was growing angry, but still, Gunther did not move.

Gunther spoke, "I know that my mother was a whore as well as you do. I also know you had her killed to save your reputation-"

"Gunther-"

"Just as I know that you had Princess Lavinia killed-"

"Son-"

"And the rest of the royal family was next. And do not call me son. I am not related to you. Not anymore."

"There's the scoundrel! He's trying to escape on horseback!" one of the searching knights yelled out. "And it looks like his son was warning him!" The knight grabbed Gunther by the neck, turned him against one of the stall doors and bound him with rawhide strips. Another knight came and did the same to Magnus.

Sir Bedwyr walked up, and after the initial shock of seeing Gunther, turned angry, and with a heavy Welsh accent, ordered them be taken to the castle.

"Jane! Can you stand?" Pepper asked. "The knights are arriving, Magnus in hand."

"Capital. I think I can manage." She slowly made her way out of the bed, stood up, started to fall only to be caught by Pepper.

"Perhaps we should have Jester or Smithy help you!" added Pepper.

No sooner were the words spoken than Jester appeared, saw Jane supported by Pepper, ran down the stairs, and completely lifted Jane off the floor. "Wouldn't want you to miss it!" Jester responded to the surprised look on Jane's face. He gave a nervous smile, and started carrying her up to the main gates, where a crowd was forming, Pepper following with Rake. They all attempted to see over other's heads, Jane especially once she was let down as she still could not stand straight.

Finally, they caught a glimpse of the knights, sitting tall in their saddles, and at the end of the parade, there were two men tied to the horses. One had black hair and beard, flecked with gray, rich if the hefty paunch he carried was any indication. _Must be Magnus_, Jane thought. Next to him, was a younger man, with black hair slicked back, athletic looking, and wearing a knight's garb. "No," Jane said quietly, barely audible, "No," this one louder than the first, but still, only Jester heard it, "No!" this one a scream of defiance, yelling her outrage at such a farce. Almost under her breath, she added, "I will not believe it."

All the knights led the two men to the throne room, but only Sir Bedwyr and two other knights continued in. When Jane and her friends arrived at the guarded doors, the knights allowed Jane in, but no one else, because she was a squire of the realm. One of the knights helped her to hobble forward, allowing her to see the entire affair.

Sir Bedwyr was speaking. "-conspired together on the death of the Princess, as well as the rest of the royal family."

King Caradoc, sat on his throne, with the queen to his right, and Cuthbert standing to his left. To this the King asked, "Do the accused have anything to say for themselves?"

"I had nothing to do with it. I do not understand this farce! I was readying my horse for an afternoon ride, when my son arrived, telling me knights were coming to arrest me for he Princess' murder, such a shame, by the way-" rambled Magnus, trying to defend himself.

"This man lies. He hired the assassins, he was readying his horse to escape, I am not his son, not anymore, and I gave him no warning. I do not know why, but he had the Princess killed." Gunther boldly stated

"Quiet, son!" exclaimed Magnus.

"I am no son of yours! I may have been born of your seed, carelessly sown, but no father would allow his son the shame of committing high treason, of committing murder. You are no father of mine!" spat Gunther.

"Quiet!" demanded King Caradoc. "Take them both to the dungeons to be questioned further. I will have the truth out of the both of you!"

Jane's eyes grew wide in horror. Magnus, she knew, was responsible for Lavinia's death. But she could not believe Gunther could do something like that. Besides the fact that he came up with the idea that it was an assassins guild. Why would he bring us closer to catching the people he hired? And now, he was to be questioned. Doubtless, Gunther told the truth. But after being questioned, anyone would lie if it meant a painless death. She had to speak to Sir Ivon. She told the knight supporting her such, and he brought her to the entrance to the throne room. There, she asked Pepper to take her back to the kitchen.

When she arrived, she began telling Sir Ivon of what happened, and her theory. The longer she talked, the more anger crossed his face. When she finished, he called for the chamberlain, and began to stand up. Ivon, unlike Jane, was able to hold his own balance.

"Am I to come?" Jane asked, almost pleading.

"Aye, that would be why I called for your father. That and they can't harm the lad if he's not in his cell." When Chamberlain arrived, he took over the support of his daughter, and the group made their way down to the cells for murderers.

"Ah, there is the chamberlain. I was afraid I would have to question the squire and merchant in the hall. And Sir Ivon! I was told you were still injured."

"Not that badly."

"And the senior squire. I don't know if it was a good decision to have her watch her comrade's questioning."

"That is because she will not." Sir Ivon walked forward, until he was nose to nose with the Welshman. The fury of the Welsh is famous, but not as famous as that of the Scot. The Welshman backed down.

"We must still imprison him. And it is a direct order of the King to question him."

"Then tell the king you did, and no matter what, he stuck to his original story."

At Sir Ivon's words, the chamberlain gasped. "Would you rather see an innocent knight tortured and killed? I will not, however, prevent you from torturing Magnus, the dirty scoundrel!"

The chamberlain lowered his head in submission, as much as he hated lying to the King, he hated watching an innocent man admit a crime so that he may at least die without pain. He would stay silent. Each knight hung his head as well. Their lips were sealed. The Chamberlain opened a cell for Gunther and another one for Magnus. It was unfortunate that Gunther would have to hear his own father being tortured, even if he had renounced him, but it was better than being 'questioned' himself.

The lot of them watched Sir Bedwyr question Magnus. Magnus maintained his innocence, for quite some time, but eventually admitted his guilt, and that his son had nothing to do with the planning. It seemed that Magnus wanted the throne for himself, and planned to not only murder the current royal family, but anyone who attempted to take the throne, at which point _he_ would take the throne.

That night, Jane slept in her own room, feeling something she had not felt since the death of her friend the Princess more than a week ago. Something, that to the untrained eye, appeared to be happiness.

**Author's Note****: This might seem like the end, but it is not. Please keep reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note****: Last chapter. And so it ends. Artistic inspiration has not struck yet, but I may yet write another story. Enjoy, and review!**

That morning, Jane woke up to a dragon head in her room. "Jane, are you okay? Pepper wouldn't let me into the kitchen, she said I might wake you up, and why didn't you tell me before riding into battle-"

"Good morning to you too, you giant lizard," Jane threw her arms around his snout.

Dragon stopped his rambling. "Good Morning, Coppertop. Just how badly were you hurt? Did you hear that Magnus was behind it all..." Jane laughed and answered his barrage of questions until she had to attend the King. Jane readied herself, and made her appearance.

Jane found that Gunther and Magnus were both in attendance, both bound around the hands and feet. Chamberlain was presenting the written account of the questioning. The King looked very thoughtful during the account of Gunther's questioning, and afterwards pardoned him and apologized for having arrested a noble knight of the realm, at which point he was knighted. While Magnus' questioning was recounted, the King became angrier, and angrier, until finally, he halted the chamberlain. "This man is a villain, and a murderer. And so, with this in thought, I condemn him to death by beheading, to be done this afternoon." Gunther, now a knight, seemed disturbed, but he tried not to let it show.

That morning, after Gunther was released, he sold the house of Magnus, and donated all of his money to the poor. He took all of his belongings to the knight's quarters and took a cot. He did not attend his father's execution. He did not leave his quarters that day. He simply stayed in his rooms all day studying battle strategy.

Jester was also in his rooms all day, writing a ballad.

Jane stayed in her rooms to study care of weaponry.

In fact, everyone remained in their quarters except for Chamberlain and one of the knights who carried out the execution, that and the workers who buried Magnus and cleaned the area of execution. Afterwards, Gunther joined Jane, Pepper, Rake, Smithy, and Jester for dinner.

Jane felt extremely awkward. Both Jester and Gunther were smiling strangely. Then she recalled that when she had rejected Jester, her main reason had been the unsolved murder of Princess Lavinia. She silently mouthed a curse. As dinner ended, Pepper pulled Jane aside.

"It is…that time of the month." Pepper said quietly.

"And?"

"It has not come."

"Have you…?"

"Yes."

"Are you…?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful!"

"Yes."

"When is the wedding?"

"Five months yet."

"So you'll be showing by then?"

"Yes."

"So you will…"

"Elope. Tonight. Be my maid of honor?"

"Of course."

They all left that night, Jane just for the night, Pepper and Rake for a week, then back to work. They arrived at a church, and it seemed they had an arrangement with the priest, as he performed the ceremony quickly. Jane went back to the castle, to tell the King what had become to his chef and gardener. And tomorrow she would have to make a decision, whether on a good friend or a loyal comrade.

She slowly explained to the king what had happened. Afterwards, she made her way to her bedchambers and fell asleep. Ah, the life of a knight!


End file.
